It’s That Time of Year Again

Every year from the first day of June until the last day of November Floridians stay well abreast of the weather and its potential to spawn tropical disturbances that have the ability of turning deadly. Having been here for 36 years, I am sadly aware of the destructive damage that storms may bring to communities we all love.

Hurricane Andrew churned its way across the Everglades after leaving a great deal of South Florida’s east coast devastated due to its 165 mph winds that took no mercy on anything in its tracks. On Marco Island we were extremely lucky that the storm exited the Everglades south of us. However, our friends in Everglades City were not so lucky.

If there was a positive aspect to that 1992 storm it came from the tightening up of the Florida Building Codes. The truth of that could be seen in 2017 when Hurricane Irma made a direct hit on Marco Island. The improved codes resulted in minimal structural damage as the storm pummeled our island and Naples.

I’m not saying there wasn’t damage, for there was. However, structures built after the improvements to the building codes were spared catastrophic losses. Communities such as Everglades City, Goodland and other areas did receive substantial damage.

Today, we can also thank those at NOAA and Air Force Hurricane Hunter crews for their bravery and the data which is fed back to those on the ground who create the tracking models. The data enables the National Hurricane Center to provide the public with necessary early warning information, which helps save lives on the ground.

I can’t imagine what it must have been like 50, 60 or 100 years ago as these massive storms would bear down on relatively unsuspecting areas here in Florida, and all over the world. We know now that early warning and planning are the keys to minimizing loss of life. You can always replace a car, clothing or a house; however you cannot replace the life of a loved one.

A few years ago, when flying up in New Hampshire looking at the seasonal change of colors, Janet and I were preparing to fly back to her summer home in Indiana, just south of Chicago. My cellphone rang and it was a great friend and fraternity brother. He had followed his dream to become a meteorologist and was working for NOAA, assigned to aircraft that would fly into the storms.

He didn’t know where I was but expressed concerned for my safety and asked where I was going. I told him I was headed to Chicago. He subsequently let me know he had just moved his parents from Naples to Orlando. I started to scold him for not reaching out for help doing that. It was then he realized I didn’t know about the storm named Wilma which had all the tracks in alignment to make a direct hit on Marco. I hadn’t looked at a newspaper or a television for five days.

Jan and I flew back to the Chicago area with her plane, and I took a commercial flight back to Marco. That storm took its time to make its way to Marco, if you remember, which gave me time to secure both our residences and wait out the storm. I had convinced her, over objections, to stay north and when it was safe, she could return. I stayed at a friend’s home that was built like a fortress and went to bed. Yes, I went to bed and went to sleep! The storm passed, hitting us harder on the backside than the front of the storm. 

My good friend and Janet flew back to Marco Island in his plane. Jan was happy to have that experience, herself a pilot, but with a much smaller plane than his dual engine King Air. We had again dodged a bullet.

As I think about storm events, my thoughts go to the recommendations of city staff and other professionals directed to those who leave for the summer months. Each spring, the reminders to properly secure their homes and outdoor furniture, including recreational watercraft and boats, seem to fall on deaf ears. Failure to do so places others in jeopardy and may cause serious damage to your home and other homes, should those items become flying projectiles.

We live in a beautiful place, but it requires all of us to be responsible and heed the advice of those with the experience to keep us safe. I hope you’ve all taken the proper precautions to prevent unnecessary damage to your homes and heeded the evacuation orders it they are given. Most of all, keep yourself and your family safe, they are irreplaceable.